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Hunters
The Hunters were a group of magic-makers from eastern Hakor. They specialized in hunting beings with magic, sentient and non-sentient, and using a special power to extract that manna out of them and use it for their own magic-making. History Fall of a Prophet The Hunters were founded by the fallen prophet the Golden One. The Golden One at the time was a righteous and devout follower of Zarem and Luna, and was one of Luna's chosen heroes, similar in status to Ayaka Di'rutia and Sabra the Incarnate. The Golden One alone had the ability to take away magic from other beings, although he only used it for good. He used his Hunters to simply find malevolent beings from which he could take their power, and the Hunters didn't have the same gift he did. The demon Brtil came to the Golden One sometime before 500 BA and offered him power and a place with the demons who would supposedly take Libera back when the demons defeated the Descendants. He refused her offer, knowing the prophecies of the demons' ultimate defeat. However, he let thoughts of power fester in his soul from her suggestions, and his practices started becoming corrupt as he sought more and more power from beings, both good and evil, instead of vanquishing the power of evil people and creatures. Eventually he bestowed his gift upon his Hunters, and his once unique and goodly power became evil and degraded. The Hunters went wild with the new power, and it became an addiction to suck manna out of sentients and non-sentients. They served their Golden One and treated him like a god. The Golden One himself claimed he was higher than both the gods and demons, a "real" god on the earth. The Hunters made their dens under the Lunar Temple that the Golden One had built preparatory to her Ascension. Because he had fallen from his place as a favored son of Zarem and Luna, Luna would not come to the Lunar temple, which had become spiritually filthy with the Golden One's fall. The Golden One remained under the temple for many years; at one point his leadership was ousted by another Hunter, but he regained it about 28 BA and remained there until he met Sabra the Incarnate. The Cleansing Sabra the Incarnate was captured by the Hunter Oxuual. She was tortured by Hunters and by the Golden One through the golden claws, and he ripped manna out of her without her permission. At one point she escaped with the aid of the Moonstone, forcing a massive amount of stored, divine manna into the Golden One, and he first froze and then exploded when Sabra unleashed the flames of the Moonstone upon him. Soon after, she rampaged through the Hunter tunnels, destroying all the Hunters in sight save for the Molouk Zentag. Most of the Hunters were destroyed that day and night, although more dwelt outside the Lunar Temple, and have yet to defeat Sabra the Incarnate. In Lithia Sometime between 72 AA and 121 AA, some of the Cherklk family moved to Hakor after Kiaser warned his family to leave to escape the Hunters. A Unia'a named Rutain Brador knew of the Hunters, and blackmailed the Cherklk family into his servitude lest he alert the Hunters of the Cherklks' whereabouts. The family, knowing of the horrendous potency of the Hunters, willingly enslaved themselves into Rutain's service. Hunter Culture Worship The Hunters worshiped the Golden One as a god on the earth, and despised any other notions of gods and demons. They tortured and imprisoned people in his name, and would bring him gifts of magical nature, from high-security prisoners like Sabra to a dragon that Zentag brought to the Golden One. They had chants and songs about the Golden One. It was very ceremonial to Hunters to have prisoners brought to the Chambers of Extraction, where they would formally have their magic withdrawn through use of the golden claws rather than simple touch. The golden claws appeared to funnel manna to the Golden One so he would not have to touch the prisoner himself, even though he has used the golden claws himself on Sabra. The Hakaan Any Hakaan who entered the service of the Golden One had their wings ceremonially removed and replaced with runes on their backs. It was symbolic of giving their wings to the Golden One so he could "ride on their wings," and they referred to themselves as riding on the fingertips of the Golden One. Removing their wings was also a physical rebellion against any "arrogant, false gods" in the heavens, so they would not have to fly through the heavens, or sky, to be close to them. Hierarchy The Hunters were ranked according to how many silver plates they had embedded under their jaw. The Golden One, of course, outranked them all. *Four plates - the highest rank, which title was not given in Incarnate Journey. A four-plated Hakaan assisted the Golden One with carrying the golden claws to the Extraction of the Disobedient. *Three plates - second-highest rank. Oxuual and Barak were known to have this rank. Had higher tasks of going out and Hunting individuals and creatures, as well as overseeing high-security prisoners. *Two plates - third-highest rank. These Hunters are still striving to gain higher rank. *One plate - the lowest rank for a full Hunter. They are still very new to the group. *fallen Hunter - a Hunter who somehow failed in his/her duties but has been allowed to live as a slave to their fellow Hunters. Their plate(s) are removed from under their jaw and molded into a starburst that is implanted on the middle of their back, a painful application according to Tarcua. Extractions Extractions were the ceremonial process of drawing manna out of a sentient prisoner in the Chambers of Extraction in the Temple underground. The prisoner was chained between two pillars covered in grotesque animal engravings in a small room. Hunters would sit on stone benches built against the wall and watch the Extraction performed by someone behind the prisoner (as the prisoner faced the watchers). An Extraction was given through the golden claws, and left permanent, black scars on the victim's back that almost appeared to be tattoos. Below is a list of known Extractions: *Extraction of the Disobedient - given to a disobedient servant or prisoner of the Golden One. Appeared as a circle of runes in a circle in the middle of the back, with a three-tailed kiaven raven sitting on a spear. Sabra was marked with this Extraction. *Extraction of the Slothful - given to a servant who failed in a mission, presumably due to their own faults and not the circumstances. The appearance of this extraction is unknown; Oxuual received this Extraction after failing to capture Sabra. Hunter Gear Hunters were known to wear a heavy black cloak with silver-linked chains on the hoods. The also wore other dark clothing. Hunter Nature Hunters were generally self-centered and cruel, although this wasn't always the case, as with Zentag, who protected Sabra at one point from the ill-intentioned inquiries of Oxuual. All Hunters appeared to have a very physical addiction to manna not their own. They had to extract manna to sate their thirst, otherwise they acted unnaturally, such as attacking without provocation and lack of appetite. Category:Groups and Factions Category:Hunters